The Red Witch Seven Sisters Scarlett Overdrive is a compact analog overdrive pedal from New Zealand maker Red Witch, released in 2011 as part of the Seven Sisters range. What set the range apart was power: Red Witch calls the Sisters the world's first rechargeable guitar pedals, each built around a lithium ion cell like the one in a cell phone, with internal charging circuitry1. The Scarlett is now sold out on the maker's own page, so it is a discontinued item to hunt secondhand rather than a current catalog product1.
Red Witch describes the Scarlett's sound in the maker's own words:
"She delivers smooth creamy break up with delicious front end clarity."1
With just two controls, it is a set-and-forget drive voice rather than a deep-shaping tool, aimed at players who want breakup without losing the character of the guitar feeding it1.
The controls
The Scarlett keeps it simple. Red Witch lists just two controls on the pedal1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the output level |
| Gain | Sets the amount of overdrive |
That is the whole panel. The rest of the Seven Sisters range follows the same pattern, with each pedal carrying only the knobs its effect needs: the Ruby Fuzz has Volume and Fuzz, the Lily Boost has Volume and Gain, and the Violet Delay has Volume and Gain as well234. If you are used to an overdrive with a tone control, the Scarlett does not have one, so the balance of brightness in your drive sound depends on your amp and the rest of your chain.
Power: 9V, 110mA, or the internal rechargeable battery
The Scarlett runs two ways: from its internal rechargeable battery, or from a standard 9 volt DC wall wart supply1. The battery is the range's headline feature. Red Witch's instructions are to connect the pedal to a regular guitar pedal power supply, charge it for four hours, and get 120 hours of actual use1. Premier Guitar adds a detail the maker's page does not spell out: the first charge should run 12 hours, not four5.
At the range's NAMM 2011 launch, MusicRadar reported that an overnight charge left a pedal good for one to two weeks of gigging, and that any DC adapter between 9 and 18 volts could be used to charge it6. Premier Guitar's later review of the range describes the same routine: plug a 9V DC power supply into the left-hand power socket for four hours5.
The 110mA current draw1 is higher than many small analog overdrives, so if you run the Scarlett from a powered pedalboard rather than its battery, check that your supply can spare the current. Charging also takes hours, not minutes, so a player who forgets to top up the cell before a gig needs that wall wart as a backup.
The Seven Sisters range
The Scarlett is one of seven pedals in the Seven Sisters range, which MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen described as the New Zealand firm's popular line7. Premier Guitar's reviews name the full set: Ivy Distortion, Lily Boost, Grace Compressor, Ruby Fuzz, Violet Delay, Scarlett Overdrive, and Eve Tremolo8.
| Pedal | Effect | List price | Battery life per 4-hour charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlett Overdrive | Overdrive | 119 USD1 | 120 hours1 |
| Ruby Fuzz | Fuzz | 90 USD2 | 300 hours9 |
| Violet Delay | Delay | 90 USD3 | 220 hours3 |
| Lily Boost | Boost | 90 USD4 | 300 hours4 |
| Eve Tremolo | Tremolo | 90 USD10 | 120 hours10 |
| Grace Compressor | Compressor | 90 USD7 | 120 hours7 |
| Ivy Distortion | Distortion | 90 USD1 |
Premier Guitar's reviewer described the shared hardware: all of the Seven Sisters are housed in tiny metal enclosures, a little bigger than a matchbook and about an inch tall, with a high-gloss painted finish8. Each pedal has a jack socket at the top of the custom diecast enclosure6, and all of them are true bypass65234101112.
The range's small size and battery power were the point. MusicRadar's 2011 launch coverage pitched the Sisters as pedals you could charge overnight and then leave off the power supply entirely for a week or two of gigs6. For a player building a small board, a Scarlett takes up roughly the footprint of a matchbook at 90mm x 30mm x 45mm and 157 grams1.
Red Witch has since moved on to other overdrives, including the Red Witch Epiphanous Overdrive, the Red Witch XENIA Overdrive Engine, and the Red Witch Panoptia 2 + 1 Overdrive, but the Seven Sisters remain the maker's rechargeable experiment, and the Scarlett its overdrive entry1.
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Questions
Is the Red Witch Scarlett true bypass?
Yes. Red Witch lists true bypass among the Scarlett Overdrive's features, and every pedal in the Seven Sisters range uses a true bypass switch. Premier Guitar's reviewer described the switching as a sturdy true-bypass switch, so your clean signal passes through untouched when the pedal is off.
How long does the Scarlett's battery last?
Red Witch says a four-hour charge gives 120 hours of actual use. The maker recommends charging the internal lithium ion cell from a regular guitar pedal power supply, and Premier Guitar notes the first charge should run 12 hours. At the 2011 launch, MusicRadar reported a pedal was good for one to two weeks of gigging after an overnight charge.
Is the Red Witch Scarlett Overdrive still in production?
No. Red Witch's product page lists the Scarlett Overdrive as sold out, and the Violet Delay from the same range is also marked sold out. The pedal was released in 2011 after what the maker describes as seven years in conception, and remaining stock appears to be all there is.
How big is the Scarlett pedal?
It measures 90mm x 30mm x 45mm and weighs 157 grams, according to Red Witch's own specifications. Premier Guitar described the Seven Sisters enclosures as a little bigger than a matchbook and about an inch tall, with a high-gloss painted finish, so it takes up very little pedalboard space.
How much did the Scarlett cost in the US?
Red Witch's product page lists the Scarlett Overdrive at 119 USD, while the other pedals in the Seven Sisters range are listed at 90 USD each. Premier Guitar's review of the range put street price at $129 each. The Scarlett is now sold out, so current pricing depends on the secondhand market.
Sources (12)
- Seven Sisters Scarlett Overdrive, Red Witch Pedals
- Seven Sisters Ruby Fuzz, Red Witch Pedals
- Seven Sisters Violet Delay, Red Witch Pedals
- Seven Sisters Lily Boost, Red Witch Pedals
- Comprehensive Review of Red Witch Guitar Pedals, Premier Guitar, 2011-12-20
- NAMM 2011: Red Witch debut Seven Sisters pedals, MusicRadar, 2011-01-17
- Red Witch Seven Sisters Grace review, MusicRadar, 2014-04-12
- Red Witch Lily, Grace & Ivy Pedals Review, Premier Guitar, 2011-12-27
- Red Witch Seven Sisters Ruby review, MusicRadar, 2014-05-12
- Seven Sisters Eve Tremolo, Red Witch Pedals
- Seven Sisters Grace Compressor, Red Witch Pedals
- Seven Sisters Ivy Distortion, Red Witch Pedals
